Public Dining Guidelines Updated Again but Confusion Remains

Tom Arnstein theBeijinger

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Even as Beijing's restaurants and bars slowly come back to life, confusion still remains as to what the proper rules of engagement are with regard to sitting down to eat outside amid the coronavirus outbreak. Having just released its third round of guidelines this weekend, the government hopes to set the record straight as to what you can and can't do should you wish to adventure out for a little fresh air and a restaurant-cooked meal.

Varying degrees of enforcement leads to confusion

Despite clarification of the requirements, it is still unclear what, if any, specific punishment restaurants are likely to incur should they ignore them. There have been mixed reports of venues observed to ignore these instructions – either after having been reported on by diners or caught by the authorities – of receiving a warning or being ordered to close temporarily. As we have written previously, following the rules is not always a surefire way to avoid closure.

Likewise, as we have mentioned before, much of the confusion seems to stem from whether the guidelines are strict rules or recommendations, with the authorities doing little to set the record straight until venues are perceived to have gone too far in the eyes of the law.

A manager of a bar in Courtyard 4, who wished to remain anonymous due to the delicacy of the situation, describes how the police visited their venue on Saturday afternoon after a customer had allegedly reported them to the police the evening prior. The venue was instructed that customers must sit one person per table with no more than 10 people on the ground floor, five people upstairs, and three outside. The police returned with cameras on both Saturday and Sunday night to check that the restrictions were being followed and reportedly did similar checks on all of the restaurants and bars located in Courtyard 4.

Referring to the fact that customers must already provide temperatures at the north gate of Courtyard 4, currently the only entrance open to customers, staff, and deliverymen, our source states, "I think it’s pointless knowing that customers have already registered/had their temperature checked five minutes and 100 meters before entering our venue," adding, "At this rate, I’m not sure I’ll stay open. I don’t think it’s worth it, but we will check numbers in the coming week."

Anna Lin Yip, marketing director at Moka Bros, says that similar restrictions have been in place since the Chinese New Year and that they too were checked on Friday evening, "but everything was in order." There, customers are required to "Check temperatures when [they] walk in, register, and there's hand sanitizer for all to use. We cap at max capacity of 50 percent, seats are 1 meter apart with one person per table, and everybody has to wear a mask if they are not consuming."

The same goes for their neighbors El Barrio, where they are restricting seating to three people per table, though staff informed the Beijinger that it is unclear whether customers are unable to sit face-to-face as they have yet to receive a direct official notice of such, even though media outlets have reported that such a rule has been stipulated (see below).

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Updated guidelines for diners, establishments, and workers

Updated guidelines for dining are divided into recommendations for diners, venues, workers, and deliverymen as outlined by the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau on Mar 14 and reported by Beijing Toutiao.

First and foremost, diners should not sit face-to-face, and maintain at least a one-meter distance while queueing or eating. This first point appears to be an update on previous restrictions outlined in a press conference on Mar 5, which stated that establishments must strictly enforce a one-diner-per-table rule. Where possible, diners and businesses should stagger their eating times, stop group dining, and use communal utensils when sharing from plates ("one person, one chopstick, one person, one spoon").

Meanwhile, restaurants must strictly limit the number of diners, provide ordering via QR codes if possible, and check customer's temperatures at the entrance. Tables, doorknobs, faucets, and other facilities that are regularly touched by customers should also be routinely disinfected. If the restaurant's furniture is fixed, the venue should specify where diners can sit. When possible, the kitchen should divide servings into individual meals to reduce the necessity of sharing from communal plates.

Employees should wear masks during their commute to and from work, as well as on the job, and avoid public transport if possible. They must also ensure that their body temperature is normal and maintain proper hygiene while at work and immediately seek medical treatment should they feel unwell.

Finally, third-party delivery platforms must ensure that their food delivery personnel are healthy and that all food containers be kept clean and conform to proper standards of hygiene. Deliverymen must not crowd when picking up food from venues and minimize contact with people when delivering meals, including requesting that customers collect their meals at the gate of their compound.

Beijing's F&B sector takes a huge hit

The tightening dining restrictions come amid a report by the National Bureau of Statistics that catering revenue in Beijing between January and February this year totaled RMB 419.4 billion, a decrease of 43.1 percent year-on-year, according to Beijing News.

Additionally, the China Hotel Association conducted an industry survey of catering companies and from over 300 returned questionnaires determined that “The average daily turnover of the companies surveyed was 9 percent of the same period last year; the turnover of 65 percent of the catering companies was about 0.7 percent of the same period last year; and 25 percent of the catering companies' turnover was about 13 percent of the same period last year," adding, "Overall turnover fell by over 90 percent year-on-year."

Without any clear and centralized approach to enforcing the dining restrictions, it is likely that confusion among Beijing's restaurants and diners will continue, and in turn, harm business along the way. Despite the nominal coronavirus infections the city has witnessed over the past several weeks, it is also clear that we still have a long way to go before life outside returns to normal. With that in mind, it's not a bad thing to try and support your local business via takeaway, delivery, or by eating in, but if you decide to do the latter, please take the necessary precautions and expect the unexpected as guidelines are sure to change once again in the near future.